Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine 2018; 4(4): 185-188

Review Article Ethnopharmacolological potential and medicinal uses of ISSN: 2454-5023 auriculata J. Ayu. Herb. Med. 2018; 4(4): 185-188 L. Sarvananda1,2, Amal D. Premarathna3, 4 © 2018, All rights reserved 1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka www.ayurvedjournal.com 2 Jeewaka Herbal Remedies 146, Nuwara Eliya road Paradeka, Sri Lanka Received: 13-11-2018 3 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Accepted: 09-12-2018 Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 4 Faculty of Fisheries & Marine Science, Ocean University of Sri Lanka, Tangalle, Sri Lanka

ABSTRACT

Hygrophila auriculata is belonging to family , Usually called as “Neermulli in Tamil” is a grow in wet places. It is an important herbal , broadly spread in Sri Lanka India, and is used to treat various diseases. Hygrophila auriculata (L.) Nees, Acanthaceae, is a source of traditional medicine; the aerial parts of the plant are used to treat blood disorders. It has various medicinal properties such as anticancer, hypoglycemic, aphrodisiac, antimicrobial, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation, hepatoprotective and hematopoietic activity. It consists of lupeol, stigmasterol, bulletin, fatty acids, and alkaloids. Commercially, it used as an ingredient in some of over the counter (OTC) formulations to treat the liver disorder and those prescribed by general tonic. In this review, talk over the pharmacological and medicinal properties of Hygrophila auriculata (Neermulli). Furthermore, need to do a clinical investigation to promote as commercial drugs.

Keywords: Hygrophila auriculata, Medicinal plant, Antitumor, Antioxidant, Neermulli.

INTRODUCTION

Hygrophila or Marsh Barbel (English) it is commonly used to call in Tamil as a Neermulli. An annual herbal plant grows up to 60cms altitude. The plant stem is tetragonal, hairy and stiffened at the nodes. The bark is dark brown, although the leaves are elliptic-lanceolate and hispid. The flowers are violet and somewhat purple-blue. The fruit looks like a four-sided figure, linear, glabrous and about contains 1cm long seeds which are orbicular hairy and brown in color [1, 2]. Tamil: Neermuli.

Distribution: Around the world found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and throughout the plains of India, in moist habitats such as marshy margins of canals, also found in tropical Himalaya [3, 35].

Taxonomic position [36]

Kingdom: Plantae Class: Magnoliopsida Subkingdom: Viridiplantae Superorder Asteranae Infrakingdom: Streptophyta Order Superdivision: Embryophyta Family: Acanthaceae Division: Tracheophyta Genus: Hygrophila R. Br.

Subdivision: Spermatophyta Species: auriculata

*Corresponding author: L. Sarvananda Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka Email: sarvacool18[at]gmail.com Figure(s): Hygrophila auriculata

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Leaf: The leaf is dorsiventral, smooth and even with a prominent Seeds are used as Tonic & for anti-diarrheal and conception promoter, midrib. The midrib is Plano bowed in a sectional sight with a flush Leaf of this plant Used to treat for pain, poison, pretentiousness, adaxial side and a broad crescent abaxial side. The midrib is 750μm abdominal disorders, anemia, constipation, and urinary disorders, and along the median perpendicular plane and 1μm in the parallel. In the roots have medicinal properties such as coolant, diuretic, aphrodisiac, upper surface of a leaf, the epidermis is prominent with squares cells tonic, and anti-inflammatory and Useful in dropsy, hyper thirst, and a prominent cuticle. Beneath the epidermis, there are about three calculus, strangury, flatulence, and Vata associated disorders [37, 44]. layers of small collenchyma cells. Further below the collenchyma are four or five layers of wide thin-walled parenchyma cells. The abaxial Medicinal Uses part of the midrib has an epidermis similar to the adaxial side. These may be one or two layers of collenchyma inner to the abaxial ▪ Its leaf is useful in a cough. epidermis. The remaining ground tissue consists of a wide, compact, ▪ It is useful in an anal fistula. thin-walled parenchyma cells. The vascular bundle is single and ▪ Its seed is useful in blood disorders. elliptical in cross-section. It is 350μm horizontally and 150μm vertically. ▪ Intake of root decoction is useful in jaundice. It consists of 8-10, parallel rows of xylem elements, which are angular, ▪ Its vegetable is useful in anemia. thin-walled and narrow. Phloem occurs as a thin sheath along the ▪ Topical application of its leaf paste is useful in Prameha. abaxial side of the xylem. In an upper surface of a leaf, there are two ▪ Its root is useful in calculus. small, less prominent, circular accessory strands. They are circular with ▪ Its root and a whole part decoction are useful in rheumatoid a cluster of xylem elements and a small nest of phloem elements [4]. arthritis [45]. ▪ Topical application of leaf paste is useful in lumbago and arthralgia. Stem: The stem is roughly four angled in sectional view with a wide ▪ Intake of Talmakhana ash along with cow urine or water is useful in parenchymatous cortex and four-angled stele. The epidermis is thin inflammation [46]. and less conspicuous. The outer cortex is made up of four or five layers ▪ Intake of the decoction prepared from Talmakhana and other of radially aligned, small, solid squares parenchyma cells. This zone is medicinal herbs alleviates insomnia [47]. uniformly 150μm wide. The inner cortex is much wider, about five rows ▪ Intake of root decoction is useful in anasarca. wide and reticulate layers of narrow parenchyma cells form circular air ▪ Its whole part is useful in dropsy [37, 43, 44]. chambers. The stele has four semicircular thicker bundles located at ▪ Intake powder prepared from Talmakhana fruit powder and sugar four corners and two smaller bundles positioned opposite each other. along with milk acts as an aphrodisiac [48]. A thin cylinder of small compact, dense xylem elements interlinks the larger and smaller bundles. The vascular bundles are collateral with Review Over Pharmacological Activities dense xylem fibers, widely separated radial rows of xylem vessels and a thin arc of phloem. The pith is wide and parenchymatous while the pith Aphrodisiac activity: The ethanol derived of aerial parts indicates cells are circular, less compact and thin walled [5]. androgenic along with an improvement of sexual behavior in the rat by reliant on dose, improve the histo-architecture of the testis, increase Root: The root has an intact, continuous rhizodermis (epidermis) the concentration of sperm count in the epididymis and increase followed by two layers of tangentially oblong compact outer cortex. testosterone level. The effect of aerial parts proliferated sexual The inner cortex is wide and parenchymatous. Thin, uniseriate partition behavior of male albino rats. The ethanolic extract of Hygrophila filaments, made up of thin-walled parenchyma cells, form wide, auriculata was directed as 100, 150 and 200 mg kg⁻¹ doses to rats for a radially elongated air chambers. Some of the partition cells have thick period of 28 days, and the action associated with control rats. The walls and are dilated and squarish rectangular. The vascular cylinder alterations are a weight of organ, sexual behavior, histo-architecture has a thin endodermal layer and a pericyclic layer. The xylem consists and fructose level of seminal vesicles were observed in a body. The of five exarch strands and a few wide angular vessels in between the erotic behavior was considered by determining of parameters in exarch strands. The phloem is in five small groups alternating with the aphrodisiac. The ethanolic extract of Hygrophila auriculata showed primary xylem strands. The central part is narrow and parenchymatous that evident of anabolic effects in treated animals, by gains weight in [6]. the body and reproductive organ. Hygrophila auriculata extracts were showed that ability to raise the development of mature spermatozoa Naturally, the herbal drugs contain many chemical compounds. Those and witnessed in transverse section [19]. compounds which are responsible for therapeutic effect is called as active constituents. There is the number of examples or galenical Liver protecting activity: The aqueous extract of the whole plant of preparations of the drugs differ to some extent from that of its active Hygrophila auriculata has hepatoprotective and antioxidative constituents of the crude drugs, which can enhance or retard the properties against CCl4- and paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicities. desired action. The use of isolated active constituents is obvious since Petroleum ether extract of Hygrophila auriculata affects the liver, these compounds are having a fixed and definite physiological effect. kidney functions, and metabolism and hematological parameters in There are so many active constituents still unknown. So the isolating high dosage level (40 and 80 mg/kg). Whereas low dose (20 mg/kg) and using the compounds in formulations will potentiate the activity in does not exhibit any appreciable toxic action. Methanolic extracts of the modern system of medicine. Column chromatography technique is the aerial parts show hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol widely used for the separation, isolation, and purification of chemical and thioacetamide boozing in rats. However, studies show that has constituents from natural drugs [2]. against chemically induced hepatic carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. A methanol extract of seed stimulating potential inhibits of hepatic Therapeutic uses in Ayurveda carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. Studied the protective efficacy of acetaminophen-induced liver damage in rats, were studied of ▪ Sweet, sour and bitter in taste, cold in potency; heavy and oily in an hepatoprotective in CC14- induced liver toxicity in rats and antioxidant attribute. activity in vitro by using the aqueous extract of roots. shown that has ▪ Aphrodisiac, tastant, restorative, mucilaginous. the hepatoprotective activity of a semi-liquid mixture of Hygrophila ▪ Useful in inflammation, calculus, hyperactive thirst, diarrhea, auriculata against CCl4 induced liver dysfunction and galactosamine- poisoning, pain, anemia, abdominal disorders, flatulence, urine induced hepatotoxicity in rats [21, 30, 31, 32, 33]. retention, burning sensation, rheumatoid arthritis, Prameha, vision disorders, blood disorders.

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Hypoglycemic activity: Ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Hygrophila Consent for publication auriculata shows signs of reduction in glucose in the blood. Also, the decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and We certify this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not hydroperoxide in both liver and kidney. This extracts also showed submitted to another Journal decreased lipid peroxidation allied with increased activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Reported an effect of hot Conflict of interests water extracts of Hygrophila auriculata on glucose tolerance of normal human subjects and maturity onset of diabetic patients. A direction of The author(s) have no conflict of interests to declare. aqueous extract of Hygrophila auriculata to rats there is no any effect on the gluconeogenic capacity of the kidney or intestinal glucose Acknowledgement absorption [28, 29]. The authority of Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University Hematopoietic action: Petroleum ether extraction from Hygrophila of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka is thanked, for providing necessary facilities to auriculata increases WBC count significantly. The mixture of write this review article. Petroleum: ether: chloroform extracts of leaf showed significantly REFERENCES increases erythrocyte count, leukocyte count, and hemoglobin count [26] . 1. Mukherjee P. Quality control of herbal drugs. First edition Ed. New Delhi: Business Horizon pharma publisher, 2002. Antioxidant activity: The methanolic extraction of leaves promising 2. Anonymous. Quality standards of Indian Medicinal . Indian council of antioxidant activity due to the presence of phenolic compounds and Medical Research. 2003; 1:212-18. flavonoid [25]. 3. Rastogi. Compendium of Indian Medicinal Plants. 4. Vliethink A. 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HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE Sarvananda L., Amal D. Premarathna. Ethnopharmacolological potential and medicinal uses of Hygrophila auriculata. J Ayu Herb Med 2018;4(4):185-188.

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